Vitals: 23 years old (turns 24 on May 13); 6-foot-2, 165 pounds; both hits and throws right-handed; drafted in 2008 by the Yankees in the 10th round out of Clemson; right-handed pitcher; ranked 17th on this list last year.

Performance: Mitchell has been durable and successful in his two seasons in professional ball. In 2009, he went 12-7 with a 2.63 ERA in 25 games (24 starts) between Low-A Charleston and High-A Tampa, striking out 125 and walking 44 in 140 innings. He followed that up with another strong showing in 2011. He spent most of the year with Double-A Trenton, going 11-4 with a 4.06 ERA, striking out 96 and walking 57 in 133 innings, before getting three starts with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre late in the season. He also did well there, going 2-0 with a 3.57 ERA, striking out 16 and walking seven in 18 innings.

Outlook: Mitchell has been everything the Yankees could have hoped for in his first two years in pro ball. The question now, though, is what does his future look like? According to BA’s organizational rankings, Mitchell enters this season as the ninth-best right-hander in the system, and the 10th best pitcher overall. With most of those other pitchers in either Double-A or Triple-A, it’s quite a crowded field for what will eventually end up being only a few openings in the Bronx. After his strong showing with SWB late last season, Mitchell will more than likely begin 2011 back in the starting rotation there. From there, he will probably either be dangled as trade bait for a midseason addition to the Yankees’ roster (like Zach McAllister was dealt for Austin Kearns last season), or possibly could be converted to a bullpen role as a middle reliever.